Maui Preparatory Academy

Rigorous College Preparation in an Island Paradise

Maui Prep is one of the best small boarding and day schools in the United States.

Signature programs and successes in the area of marine studies (The Moana Institute) and STEM (robotics and engineering), and outstanding opportunities in golf, tennis, and surfing.

Maui Prep’s Moana Institute for Marine Studies is an immersion program that caters to a global audience. Interested students may participate in a semester-long program that will satisfy half-year credit requirements for most American high schools, or they may participate in a less intensive 2-week summer program. The marine studies program takes full advantage of Maui’s marine, coastal, and watershed resources to expose and reinforce the core environmental concept of interconnectedness.

The Center for Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (CCIE), is Maui Prep’s STEAM-focused initiative. “STEAM” stands for science-technology-engineering-arts-mathematics. Maui Prep fields championship caliber robotics teams in all three divisions of the school: lower, middle, and upper. Maui Prep’s iPueo Robotics Team was first in the state of Hawaii and finished in the top 15% in world competition in 2015. Maui Prep offers a three-year engineering program to students in grades 9-12 through Project Lead The Way. PLTW provides a comprehensive approach to STEM Education through activity-, project-, and problem-based curriculum. Maui Prep teams and individual students have been champions at both the county and state Science Olympiad competitions.

Maui Prep’s Surf Academy is for serious surfers (from beginners to the advanced) who are serious about their academic preparation for university, too. Hawaii is the historical home and the modern world epicenter of many ocean sports, especially surfing. Maui Prep has year round surf on the #1 island in the world, and lies merely ten minutes from the best surf spot in Hawaii, and one of the world’s top ten: Honolua Bay. There are 20 other excellent surf spots within 30-minutes drive of the school. Surfing has already proven to be a great draw for Maui Prep. Maui Prep’s surf team has attracted talented students/surfers from Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Senegal, France, and Puerto Rico, and has been a strong source of retention for students from all parts of the world who have come to love surfing and other ocean sports. Each year, Maui Prep surfers compete for individual and team championships. A sampling of this success includes: former Junior National Champion, former NSSA Hawaii Regional Champion, Girls Body-boarding and Surfing MIL Champion, State Open-Men’s Champion, Morocco’s National Surf Team Member, Girls’ Team Maui Interscholastic League Championship 2015, World-Renowned Stand-Up Paddler and alumnus Slater Trout, and 2016 Ultimate Waterman and alumnus Zane Schweitzer.

Maui Prep is fully accredited by the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Maui Prep offers a full array of College Board Advanced Placement (AP) classes in the areas of English, History (US History and Human Geography), Macroeconomics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Biology, Physics, and Art.

Maui Prep is a member of the Hybrid Learning Consortium (HLC), which makes available to Maui Prep students a large catalogue of courses in multiple disciplines that each student may add to his/her roster of classes.

With our commitment to the most effective practices in preparing students to engage the challenges of the 21st century, Maui Prep was recognized as one of Hawaii`s most successful Schools of the Future.

Maui Prep`s small class sizes enable significant individualized attention for each student in a nurturing and supportive environment.

Maui Prep`s teachers are masters of their disciplines (over 75% with advanced degrees), passionate about teaching, seek opportunities to expand their own knowledge and experience, and set the bar high for their students, teaching the essential skills to be successful academically while also being sensitive to different learning styles inherent in their students. Most importantly, Maui Prep teachers have that special knack for connecting with teenagers.

Location & Campus

Maui is a short 25-minute flight from Hawaii`s international airport (HNL) in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. The Maui Prep campus is 35 miles from Maui`s main airport (OGG) in Kahului. In addition, there are several direct flights from Maui to the US mainland, through such cities as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Denver. Maui Prep is nestled on 22.5 acres of rolling hillside that had once been pineapple fields. The campus overlooks the warm Pacific Ocean and the Hawaiian islands of Lana`i and Moloka`i. The safe and secure campus presently provides seven main buildings that contain classrooms, science labs, computer lab, a college center, and dining hall. Students and faculty have WIFI access throughout the campus. All classrooms are equipped with Smart Board technology.

Residential Life

Maui Prep creates a residential home environment that supports the intellectual and emotional development of our students. Our exceptional educators and residential parents care for students as their own and guide their orientation and integration into Maui Prep community life. New students at Maui Prep quickly become a part of our `ohana (family) and build great life-long friendships. Our teachers and residential parents are available at all times to provide students with supervision and support, whether it is academic or personal. Our residential accommodations ensure proper and appropriate separation of male and female students; classroom, meeting, and dining facilities are coeducational. When not attending classes, participating in school sports, attending school functions, or studying, residential students have ample opportunities to enjoy all that Maui has to offer, including area beaches to swim, snorkel, surf or paddle board, hiking trails, local supermarkets, farmers markets, and shopping malls. Meals are provided for all boarding students. Breakfast is generally "in-residence" or occasionally offered in the school`s dining hall; lunches are served in the school`s dining hall; residential students usually dine together for dinner, family style, with either the Residential Director or Residential Parent. Maui Prep accommodates a wide range of dietary needs and requirements.

Premier Counseling & Advocacy in the College Placement Process

Maui Prep`s teachers and college counselors are invaluable thinking partners for students in the college/university exploration and application process. While conversations about college begin well before high school, all Maui Prep 10th graders register for a college exploration course that also includes preparation for the College Board PSAT and SAT (as well as the ACT and TOEFL). Maui Prep students have opportunities to attend college fairs on Maui and Oahu and take an optional college tour during the school`s "interim" week (in February). Maui Prep hosts visits from over 50 college admission officers every year. At the core of Maui Prep`s success is the critical role played by the teacher/student relationship. Teachers and college counselors get to know each student very well. They are not just thinking coaches in the classroom; they become invaluable thinking partners in the college/university exploration and application process. We recognize that college preparation and preparation for adult life beyond college are about much more than building 21st century critical thinking and problem solving skills; they are about the journey of self-discovery, identifying one`s passions or interests, discovering one`s learning style preferences, and experiencing the power of collaboration with others on common causes. For Maui Prep international students, Maui Prep offers a unique Escalator program. In essence, any international student who matriculates at Maui Prep for a minimum of two academic years, and is on track to graduate meeting a certain minimum GPA and TOEFL score, is guaranteed admission to at least one college/university of a dozen or more with whom Maui Prep has special agreements. In many cases, international students are automatically accepted to several of these colleges/universities. Furthermore, all Maui Prep students are able to earn a minimum of a year’s worth of college credits by taking course work through the University of Hawaii – Maui College. In essence, as a Maui Prep senior graduates from Maui Prep, he or she may also have completed enough college credits to begin college or university as a sophomore.

LD types supported: The Maui Prep Learning Support Services Program provides support within our college preparatory curriculum to a select group of students with minimal language and learning difficulties.